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NHCOG Observer Corps Report ~ 09.08.16

Northwest Hills Council of Governments
OBSERVER CORP REPORT
NHCOG Meeting -10am-Noon- 09.08.16 @ NHCOG Office-GoshenIssues and items covered at this meeting included:NWCONNect –status of Broadband access for North West CTJessica Fowler, Selectwoman of Sharon and a Board member of NWCONNect made the following comments.

The organization is a newly formed 501C3 corporation.

Frontier Communications has halted talks on development in the area. They believe because of the rural nature and population density.

They are looking at plans that would involve a community owned & operated network, a partnership with a private enterprise & the community or a fully private operation.

The organization has obtained a telecommunications attorney who developed a model contract for municipalities to use with potential carriers.

They have received a $200,000 Regional Performance Incentive Grant to fund a feasibility study within the COG ( 21 towns) and four other towns in the Northwest.

A grant of $50,000 approved by the state assembly for broadband studies will be used to develop a community website and other projects.

Regional Plan of Conservation and Development

Joycelyn Ayer, Community & Economic Development Director for the COG explained that the COG is required by state law to update its plan every 10 years.

Since the merger of the two COG’s, this is the first time the plan will include all 21 towns in one filing. There is a survey on line for residents to indicate what issues are important and what land use goals should become. The COG is offering an ice cream social for the town with the most responses. It can be taken at:

This plan includes a recommendation for a regional on call engineer, a transportation coordinator. The current draft of the plan( 46 pages) can be found on the COG website http://northwesthillscog.org

COG automation

During the presentation on the Regional Plan of Conservation & Development, the 21 members were given a small white clicker. As questions were presented on a screen each member could click the response they preferred and the results were combined to show voting on each section of a question. One Selectman asked if he could use the clicker at his town meetings. They will be made available to member towns.